Chute



, 1,632,536 G. T. BREEN y CHUTE June 14, 192g.

June 14 1927. i'

G. BREEN CHUTE 2 Sheets-snee; 2 n

Filed Feb. 5, 1926 lll Patented June (14,1927. v

UNITED STATES PATENT 1 OFFICE.

GEORGE T. BREEN, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HERRING-HALL- MARVIN SAFE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

HUTE.

Application ledlFebruary 5, 1926. Serial No. 86,305.

My invention relates to chutes for safes, and more particularly relates to automatic locking mechanisms for such chutes which shall be burglar resisting and are devised for The objects of my invention are, among other things, to provide a simple yet thoroughly effective chute and automatic locking devices therefor by which the different customers of the bank may have ready access to the outer chute door and receiving hopper arranged in the side-walls of the bank building at a convenient distance above the street level so as to deposit their individual cntainers for money or other valuables within the hopper by which such `containers are thereafter allowed to fall by gravity through the chute into the night safe or vault from which the proper representatives of the bank may remove same from time to time, and particularly on such occasions when the customers have deposited their. containers inthe chute after bankinghours to be received and opened by the bank oir the following morning.

' A further object and feature of my invention is to equip this chute with successive automatic 7locking devices effectively Safe' guardingthe passageway through the chute so that 1t would be impossible to withdraw any f such money containers from the receiving vault after` the customer -has once deposited his container in the hopper and closed the entrance door opening in the bank side wall, -by embodying in the chute structure a flexible finger-trap and an automati` cally operated sliding door whichwill act to preclude burglars from `lifting any of the money containers upwardly through the chute once'lthey had been deposited in the bank-vault or night safef In other words I have devised an improved automatic oneway chute provided with locking devices andtraps, each `automatically actuated, which effectively prohibit 'any removal of the money containers by unauthorized persons attempting to tamper with or' destroy the 'chut-e itseltl or any of its operating parts.

Vith theseand other objects in vie-W the invention also comprises the novel construction andarrangement of the operating parts shown and hereinafter to be described as one 4 embodiment of my invention, and then particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of the side walls and cellar of-a bank building having my improved chute and automatic locking devices installed therein;

Fig. 2 shows enlarged sectional views of parts shovvn in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the chute .head and entrance door;

Fig. 4 is anv enlarged View showing the flexible finger-trap taken on the line 1 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the trap fingers; i

Fig. 6 is a detailed sectional elevation showing the slide door closed at the base of the chute; i

Fig. 7 is a detail view of thel parts shown in'Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is, a detail sectional view of the receiving hopper and the coacting back plate of the housing comprising the chute head in i .a modified form. l

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several figures.

Referring to Fig. 1, the cellar floor 9 and cellar wall 10 of the bank building enclose the safe or vault 11r having the inner compartment 12'closed "by the hingeddoor 13 ofl any suitable construction. The top 14 of the safe llhas the rectangular opening`- 15 cut therein with inclined sides (Fig. 2) into which the lower end of th/e chute 16 is fitted and secured by the brackets 1-7 as shown in Figs 1 and 2. The chute 16 is Arectangular in cross-section (Fig. 4) andextends upwardly from the top 14. of the safe 11 obliquely through the sidewall 18 of the bank building as shown in Fig. 1. To the top of the chute 16 is secured the chute head or housing d 19 which is embedded in the sidewall 18, the housing 19 being fastened to the top 'of the chute 16 by the angle bracket 20 (Fig. 2). The housing 19 has the rectangularopening 21 'formed in its face p late 22 flush with the outer surface ofthe slde- Y wall 18, and the faceplate 22 carries the of the door 23 are the- 39 (only one being shown 'ing 19, while in Figs.

horizontally pivotally-inounted entrance door 23 =provided with the lock 24 and locking bolt 25 which is adapted to -engage the inner edge of the face-plate 22 when projected upwardly as shown in Fig. 2. Any suitable form of key 26 may be used inthe lock 24 to actuate the bolt 25 and allow the customer to open thedoor 23 by lowering same from its locked position (Fig. V) to its unlocked position (Figs. 1 and 3).

The housing 19 carries the cross-bar 27 on which is j ournalled the overweighted hopper 28 having the sides 29, bottom 30 and top 31 with the upper opening 32 and lower opening 33 all preferably formed in one piece as shown in Figs. 1-3. The sides 29 each have the outwardly projecting segmental lugs 34 which are adapted to engage and ride in the segmental grooves 35 formed on the insideV of the curved back plate'36 secured to the rear of the housing 19 (Figs. 1-3) only one of such lugs 34 and grooves 35 being shown in Fig. 8. This lug 34 .and groove 35 arrangement allows the hopper 28 to rock. readily on the cross-bar 27., yet serves to removal of the hopper 28 from the housing 19 because of its lug 34engagement with groove 35 of the back-plate 36.

Pivotedto the lugs '37 formed on the inside llinks 38 (Fig. 3) which are pivotally connected with the ping,`

Y in Fig. 2) fastened to the hopper sides 29. This construction enables the hopper 28 to` be rocked in unison'with the rocking movement imparted by the customer to the door'23; Fig. 2 shows the door 23 closed and with the hopper 28 in alinement with the top opening of the chute 16 with its hopper opening 32 eiectively lclosed by the top plate 40 ofthe hous- 1 and 3, the entrance door 23 has Abeen unlocked andlowered to horizontal position, the links A38Hactingon the hopper lower opening ,33 is at all times closed by the curved surface ofthe back-plate 36.

In Fig. 1 I have shown the bank sides wall 18 flush with the street sidewalk 41 and Y and 4). Should the cross-bar are the mutually parallel 28 to rock same against gravity Y with an anti-clockwise movement while the -ment shown a trap comprising a series of spaced-apart yieldable lingers 1s provided best shown in Figs. l, 2, 4 and 5. Secured to the inner lower end of the chute 16 is the plate 44 provided with a series of spacedapart lugs 45 through which extends the cross-shaft 46 (Figs. 4 and-` 5). mounted to the shaft 46 between thelu 45 are a series of spaced-apart fingers 47A nine c ing shown in Fig. 4) extending transversely from the shaft 46 across the chute 16 and of slightly greater length than the width of the chute 16 as shown in Fig. 2. Coiled about the shaft 46 and bearing against the under side of each linger 47 are the light springs 49 normally urging the lingers 47 upwardly to have the iinger tips 50 bear against the under side of the cross-bar 51 secured to the opposite side 52 of the chute 16 (Figs. 2

51 become displaced or be removed for any reason the finger tips 50 would then press against the side 52 of the chute. It will be seen that these flexible fingers 47 will always yield downwardly to allow the containers 42 to pass freely and downwardly through the chute 16 into Vthe safe compartment 12, yet it is impossible for such containers 42 to be there after lifted upwardly from the compartment -12 through the chute 16 because the lingers Means are also provided for automatically closing the lower end of the chute 16 and shutting olf the opening 15 leading to the safe'fcompartment 1,2, should burglars break oli' the door-23 or face-plate 21 and attempt to remove the hopper 28 from the housing 19, which means are best shown in Figs. 1, 2, 6 and 7. Secured to the safe top 14 adjacent to,.an'd on opposite sides of, the opening 15 slotted guide-bars 53 (only one being shown) within which is iitted. the rectangular transversely slidable door 54 (Fig. 7) the forward end carrying the rollers 55 adapted to ride in the guide bars 53 (Figs. 2 and 6). Riveted across the -under side of the rear end of the door 54 is the .cross-bracket 56 Ato the ends of which are aiiixed the coil springs 57 with the oppusitespring ends fastened to the pins 58 secured Within the safe 11. Pivote'd to the cross-bar 59 (Figs. 2 and 6) secured to the safe top 14 is the weighted arm 60 of the latch 61, the arm 60 extending forwardly in aliiement with thedoor 54 when the latter is retracted (Fig. 2), and adapted to fall `bed the rear edge of the door 54 an'd dos,r same (Fig. 6) whenthe doorl- 54 is advanced, the tip of the arm 60 resting @on the guidebar 53 (Fig. 6). The door V54 is held in its open renaeted position (Fig.2) with Pivotally springs 57 extended under tension, by the.

forked en'ds 62 of the rod 63 extending upwardly through thechute 16 (Figs. l and 4) and pivoted to the hoppercross-bar 27. The forked'ends 62 ride on the pin 64 secured to the side of the chute 16 in. the safe top 14 (Fig-7) and normally extend Adownwardly across the face of the front edge ot the door 54 (Figs. l and 2). Should a burglar at'- temptto remove the hopper 28 from the housin 19the rod 63 will thereby be pulled upwardly sutliciently to bring the forked ends 62 above the plane of the door 54 (Fig. 6) thereby enabling the springs 57 toppull v the door 54 to the left from its Fig. 2t() its Fig. 6 position to shut od the safe compartment 12 from the chute 16. The bracket 56 carries the hand-knob 65 to allow the 'door to be' reset in its normally open position (Fig. 2) rafter the latch 61 has been moved to raise the latch-arm 60 from its Fig. 6 to its Fig. 2 position so that this weighted arm 60 .will rest on the top ofthe door 54, the latch 61 Y and knob 65 being actuated from within the safe compartment 12 as shown in Fig. 1.

In operation each bank customer is provided with a key 26 for the door llock 24 and the bank may be provided with a pass key -to unlock the individual money'container locks 43 for which each customer has his key. At any time outside of banking hours the customer of the bank may use this improved chute to deposit `his money or other valuables locked in the containers 42 by opening and lowering the entrance 'door 23 which rocks the hopper 28` by the connecting links 38 against gravity from its Fig. 2 to its receiving yposition (Figs. 1 and 3). After the container 42 is -lodged in the hopper 28 and the customer releaseshis hold on the door 23, the hopper 28-rocks in a clock-wise directionl on the'icross-bar 27 which allows the container 42 to fall through the hopper 28 I into the chute '16 whenv alined as shown in l Fig.

2. The container 42 passes readily through the flexible ingers 47 which thereafter snap back against the cross-bar 51 and finally falls into the safe compartment 12 through 'the normally retracted door 54 where such containers remain in safe custody until the opening of the bank and proper removal from the safe or Vault 11. The operation of the normally-openslide-door 54 upon displacement of the hopper 28 'basalready been described. v

`While the, construction herein shown embodies my improvements -in a preferred form. it will-be understood that changes and variations may be made inthe structuralV details wit-hout departing from the principles and sco e of the invention or sacrificing/its l claim as my. invention:v y 1.. In a chute, an oscillatable receiving hopper mounted on the head of the chute,

tion between said hopper vdoor' W en closed, and mamie a normally open closing means for the chute, and an operative connection between said closing means and said hopper to allow said means to close the chute whenever said hopper is displaced from its operative position in the chute.

2. In a chute, an oscillatable receiving ing said means automatically to close the `door whenever said hopper is displaced from its 'operative position in the chute.

3. In a chute, an oscillatable receiving hopper, a transverselyslidable door to close 4the chute. means for automatically closing the door 1n said chute, an operative connection between said hopper yand door for normally maintaining said door-closing means in inoperative condition, but allowing said means automatically to close the door whenkever said hopper is displaced from its'operative position in the chute, and means-for automatically locking said door when closed. 4. In a chute, an oscillatable receiving hopper, a transversely slidable door to close the chute, means for automatically closing the door in said chute, an operative connection between said hopper and door for normally maintaining said door-closing means in inoperative condition, but allowing said means. automatically to close the door when ever said hopper is displaced from its operative position in the, chute, .and an overing said door when closed.

v 5. .In 4a chute, an oscillatable `receiving.

hopper, a transversely slidable door toclose the chute, means for automatically closing the door in said chute, an operative connection vbetween said hopper and door :tor normally maintaining said door-closing means in inoperative condition, but allowing said means automatically to close the door whenever said hopper is displaced from its operchute, meansy for auto-- matically locking said doorwhen closed, and.

ative position in the means for unlocking sald last means land reiop vweighted latch-arm for automatically locksetting said connectionjkto f-hold the doorY o en.

p6. In a chute,Y an oscillatable receiving hopper, a transversely slidable door to close the chute, means for automatically closing the door in' said chute, an

and door for nor- 'mallyf maintaining said door-closing means in inoperative condition, but allowing said vmeans automatically to close the door whenever said hopper is displaced from lts. o

an overweig ted` ative position 'in the'chute, i latch-ar 'for automaticall locking said means forunoperative conneclocking saidlatch-arm and retracting said door to reset said Koperative connectlon to hold the door open.

7. In a chute, an oscillatable receiving hopper, a Series of spaced-apart, transversely-extending fingers normally held in chute-closing position but yieldingly withdrawn to permit a one-way passage for articles bearing on said lingers within the chute,-

a. door normally slidable to close the lower end of the chute, and an operative connection extending between said hopper and door through/'said fingers for normally maintaining the door in open inoperative position,

', but allowing the door automatically to close the chute whenever said hopper is displacedfrom its operative position in the chute.

8. In a chute, an oscillatable receiving hopper, a series of' spacedfapart, transversely-extending fingersnormally held in chute-closing position-'hut yieldingly withdrawn to permit a one-way passage for articles bearing on said'ngers within the chute, a door normally slidable to close the lower end of the chute, an operativeconnection eX- ten'ding between said hopper and door through said fingers for normally maintaining the door in open inoperative position, but allowing the door automatically to close the chute whenever said hopper is displaced from its operative position in the chute, and means for resetting said door and connection to hold the door in open position.

GEORGE T. BREEN. 

